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Religious Tourism: What is it and why is it so important?

Religious tourism is one of the earliest forms of tourism and is a fast growing market. Here, Peter Wiltshier, Consultant Researcher Community & Tourism Development NZ at Research Consultancy NZ, New Zealand , explains what it is and why it is so important.

View to Jerusalem old city, Israel

What is religious tourism?

Religious tourism has taken place since the dawn of civilisation. Pilgrims travelled to pay homage to the sacred places and their guardians throughout the world. Tourism to sacred sites has merged with pilgrimage in the past 2,000 years. More recently, in the past 200 years wealthy Europeans visited special sites of sacred ritual in both the New World and throughout Europe.

Why is it so important?

Sites of special sacred significance have been visited for millennia. What is now important is that these sites need protection, conservation and interpretation. There are few guardians of these special places of worship and visitation and even fewer sources of funds to maintain and manage sites for visitors and worshippers. We do make a distinction between worshippers and visitors, as the religious sites cater for both in roughly equal amounts at some very special places like Lourdes in France and Fatima in Portugal.

Religious tourism in history

The management of religious tourism presents many challenges that are unique in both breadth and application. Sites of religious significance have existed since biblical times and pilgrimage in the Judeo-Christian context is mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible, for example, in the story of Elkanah, who travels annually to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice (1 Samuel 1:1-28). It is also present in the New Testament Pentecost story, when Jews from all over the world went to Jerusalem for the Passover (Acts 2: 1-12). Many of these sites still exist and other sites, although not as old, have considerable heritage value. The management of heritage sites present particular problems, one of which relates to the cost of maintenance.

Managing sites of religious tourism

Most religious sites are owned by religious organisations, and this may cause challenges for their management, as they must balance the needs of worshippers with those of their visitors. Mosques are at the centre of Islamic tourism and are visited by both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Muslims may visit mosques while travelling as a tourist attraction or as a place of worship. Many mosques have a dual role, functioning as both a place of worship and as a community centre. The role of community centre means that the mosque will be open for functions and festivities that are not strictly religious in nature and may include non-Muslims.

Muslim countries, such as those in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) welcome tourism, especially religious tourism. But they make a distinction between pilgrimage, the most well know being the Hajj, and other forms of religious tourism. While non-Muslims are welcome at sites such as mosques, they are not welcome at the Hajj. The Hajj is one of the most important forms of pilgrimage today with millions of Muslims travelling to Makkah (Mecca) in Saudi Arabia and, without question, the most important Muslim pilgrimage. It is therefore important to distinguish between Muslim travellers to Muslim sites and non-Muslim visitors to these sites. For example, it is not acceptable for non-Muslims to enter the region of Hejaz where the cities of Mecca and Medina are located. There is some conflict related to ‘ownership’ of these sites, and this is discussed below. Other religions have similar problems in relation to conflicting motivations.

Visitors and worshippers

One of the conflicts that has been noted is between visitors to religious sites and worshippers. While many visitors see worshippers as part of the experience, some worshippers do not like the feeling of being observed. Worshippers do not want to feel that they are part of a ‘show’, but are happy to share their religious space, and are proud of the architecture and history that attracts visitors to the site. Sacredness does not readily cross cultural boundaries. What is viewed as sacred by one group, such as congregants, may be seen as culturally interesting by another visitor group. Given that some visitors may wish to engage in worship, Church authorities may need to determine when a request to participate in a service should be accepted as an expression of genuine interest and/or intention.

Developing sites of special significance requires the dissemination and sharing of both intellectual and practical contributions to meet those needs in a planned and stakeholder-driven approach. Traditional approaches to development emerged half a century ago with a focus on core competencies and the agreed understanding that open and fair competition would raise quality and assure reasonable profit margins. It is important to create awareness of services and products and map those to marketing practices.

Analysis and synthesis through primary research enable cleric and manager to grasp visitors’ and worshippers’ needs and develop audiences for sites. In the book, we present the importance of maintenance and plans for developing sites to accommodate factors in both internal and external environments that acknowledge the requirement to remain competitive.

How can religious tourism sites stay competitive?

The importance of networks, grappling with the wider community and perhaps establishing a wider, even global, reach, is appraised as important. In seeking to tap into resources traditionally not employed in managing religious and pilgrimage sites, we elevate the need for an enterprise culture.

Our book features great practices for supporting tourism to sites of worship and pilgrimage from China and Nepal through to Salt Lake City, Australia and diverse but important sites in England, Hungary, Spain, and Ireland. Emerging practices in festival and event management at these sites are coupled with new interpretation through the use of virtual reality technology. Emerging good practices for emulation come with sites that are now employing funding managers prepared to manage the risks of increased visitation against the pressures to conserve and protect the ancient sites at the centre of the visitor experience.

This post also appears on the University of Derby blog .

Managing Religious Tourism is now available from the CABI Bookshop.

You might also be interested in reading From too many to too few: the impact of COVID-19 on overtourism

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United in Religious Diversity: Timor-Leste Launches Faith-based Tourism Association with U.S. Support

DILI, Timor-Leste  - The United States congratulates Timor-Leste for launching the Faith-based Tourism Association (Asosiasaun Turizmu Relijiozu Timor-Leste-ATRTL) today at Dili Cathedral on the anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s visit to the country in 1989.

The launch ceremony follows many years of collaboration by religious leaders with U.S. support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through the USAID's Tourism For All Project to establish faith-based tourism in Timor-Leste.  U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Tom Daley, and Acting USAID Mission Director Harold Carey were pleased to join Senior Timor-Leste government officials, the Archbishop of Dili, Dom.Virgílio do Carmo da Silva, the Vatican’s representative in Timor-Leste, Monsignor Marco Sprizzi,  at the launch ceremony.

“Faith-based tourism presents a tremendous economic opportunity for Timor-Leste, with a significant number of tourists from neighboring countries within close reach,” said U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Tom Daley. “It also helps to advance human rights and respect for differences.  Building on our respect for religious freedom and diversity, the U.S. Mission to Timor-Leste hopes that the Association will spur job creation for young people, bring prosperity to communities nationwide, and help Timor-Leste diversify its economy.”

Official registration in July 2021 opened the way for the association to receive a $110,000 grant from the Government of Timor-Leste that will support operations as it strives to capture a portion of the estimated $18 billion global religious tourism market.  According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, up to 330 million tourists visit religious sites around the globe every year.

USAID’s Tourism For All project brought diverse groups of faith leaders together in 2018 to set up a working group to explore the potential for faith-based tourism.  The working group subsequently organized an international tourism conference under the theme of ‘Peace, Harmony and Fellowship: Faith-based Tourism Development.”  The next steps for ATRTL include a national survey of faith-based tourism attractions and hospitality and tour guide training for young people.  Association members are also discussing an annual interfaith festival and plans to create a peace garden.

ATRTL President Father Angelo Salsinha expressed his appreciation for the support the association has received. “I would like to thank God for giving power to the team comprising USAID’s Tourism for All Project, the Government of Timor-Leste, and the Faith-based Tourism Association, for their willingness, unity, and commitment to work together to get the association registered legally,” he said.  “I would especially like to thank USAID’s Tourism For All for accompanying us in the whole process. I believe that with the experience gained, we will work more professionally to ensure our association’s sustainability and future well-being.”

As one of Timor-Leste’s senior Catholic clergymen, Father Salsinha wants to make sure that respect for religion is a key priority as ATRTL draws up its strategic plan, a feeling shared by leaders of the other faiths represented in the association.  One of the challenges facing the association is to raise awareness and to work for community engagement in places of value to the faith-based tourism market. ATRTL plans to allocate 50 percent of the Government of Timor-Leste grant to train community leaders and young people to receive faith-based tourists with respect.  The funding will also go towards hospitality training and tour development to extend economic benefits to those communities and others across the country.  ATRTL will work through its different faith networks to develop a marketing strategy to entice regional visitors and promote domestic faith-based tourism. 

For more information, contact the USAID/Timor-Leste Communications Team at [email protected]

See more photos from the event here:  https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWTR4qV

Religious tourism

Niche or mainstream?

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• Fiete Seyer &
• Daniel Müller  

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Religious tourism has increasingly won in popularity in recent years. There is no general definition of religion; actually almost every religion has its slightly different explanation. The most represented religion groups are Christians, Islamists, Hindus, Buddhists and Jews. According to an American dictionary religion is defined as follows:

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6.5 References

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6.6 Recommended reading

Morpeth, N.D. & Raj, R. (2007),Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Management: An International Perspective, Oxfordshire: CABI

World Religious Travel Association–WRTA(2008), URL: www.religioustravelassociation.com /

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Seyer, F., Müller, D. (2011). Religious tourism. In: Papathanassis, A. (eds) The Long Tail of Tourism. Gabler. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-8349-6231-7_6

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Religious tourism- what is it and how does it work?

Disclaimer: Some posts on Tourism Teacher may contain affiliate links. If you appreciate this content, you can show your support by making a purchase through these links or by buying me a coffee . Thank you for your support!

Religious tourism makes up a big part of the tourism industry worldwide. Learn more about religious tourism, what it is and how it works in this article….

What is religious tourism?

Why is religious tourism important, missionaries, religious sightseeing, religious tourism in india, religious tourism in the philippines, religious tourism in italy, religious tourism in israel, religious tourism in turkey, religious tourism in poland, religious tourism- further reading.

Religious tourism is a branch of tourism which involves people travelling for religious purposes (like a pilgrimage ) or to see things of religious importance (sightseeing). It is also known as faith tourism. It also incorporates missionaries. Religious tourism isn’t just for religious people, of course. Many people who engage in religious tourism are actually of no religion themselves!

Religious tourism is an important branch of tourism for many reasons. It allows people to connect to their religion in a way they might otherwise not be able to – for example, a Muslim person living in a predominantly Christian country or area may have little opportunity to visit a mosque. They may also not have the chance to meet other Muslims very often. By visiting a place where Islam is the prominent religion, they might be able to build a better connection with their religion. 

It also provides a way for humanity to preserve our common heritage. All religions are practised in different places across the globe, as humanity has spread through the centuries. By visiting religious monuments and locations, we are able to learn more about the histories behind different religions, making religious tourism a great form of educational tourism too.

Religious tourism also helps to provide funding for the upkeep and preservation of religious sites. Entry fees to places like the Vatican are useful when it comes to repairs and paying for the staff who maintain the physical aspect of the Catholic Church. As well as this, as more people visit certain areas, governments are forced to ensure that roads, water supplies and infrastructure are taken care of.

Religious tourism activities

There are various activities which can come under the arm of religious tourism. One major one is a pilgrimage. I have an in-depth article about this, which you can read here . A pilgrimage is an often lengthy trip to a place of particular significance to your religion. An example of this is Muslims visiting Mecca, or Catholics heading to Lourdes. You can find some other religious tourism activities below…

A missionary is a person sent on a mission by their religion. They are sent to an area in order to promote this religion, and also provide services that this area may need. The most famous missionaries are members of the evangelical church, a branch of Christianity. The term comes from the Bible, when Jesus himself used it to refer to sending his disciples to preach the gospel in his name. However, the term’ missionary’ can be used in relation to any religion.

The most popular form of religious tourism is sightseeing. This is something which many people do, regardless of their particular religion. Every year, over 5 million people visit the Vatican – and they are not all Catholics heading there to pray or connect to the religion. They are also people who are interested in art and architecture, or history buffs, or people who want to tick ‘visiting the world’s smallest country’ off their bucket list.

The same goes with people visiting other religious sites. They may not necessarily be religious themselves. Many are, of course, and visit these sites for reasons similar to why people go on pilgrimages. They want to connect with other people of the same religion, or visit a place that is important to the religion itself.

There are many places you can go if religious sightseeing is something you enjoy. You’ll find some popular ones below!

Religious tourism destinations

Pretty much every town and city across the globe has a church, mosque, temple, cathedral or synagogue (and so on) – which means religious tourism can take place anywhere. There are some places, however, where it is much more prominent than others.

Religious tourism in India is huge. Spirituality is a massive part of Indian culture , with the main religion being Hinduism. 79.8% of the population identify as Hindu, with 14.2% practising Islam and 2.3% being Christians. Sikhism and Buddhism, while not as popular in India now, were both actually founded here.

With that in mind, there are many places of religious importance to visit in India. 

Haridwar and Varanasi are two famous religious places in India, and have been since ancient times. They are two sites with a lot of significance in Hinduism. Haridwar is where the River Ganges exits the Himalayan foothills, and there is a nightly river worshipping ceremony held here. Tiny flickering lamps are floated off the steps of the sacred ghat here. Varanasi is believed to have been the home of Lord Shiva, a prominent figure in Hinduism. Varanasi sees many pilgrims visiting in order to purify themselves by bathing in the River Ganges at sunrise.

There are also hundreds of beautiful churches, temples and mosques across the country which make for wonderful sightseeing.

The Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country. 83% of residents are Roman Catholic, with other branches of Christianity being the next popular religion followed by Islam. There are many Catholic sites you can visit as a religious tourist. These include:

• Monasterio de Tarlac, San Jose, Tarlac – with its statue very reminiscent of Christ the Redeemer in Rio
• National Shrine of the Divine Mercy, Marilao, Bulacan – with healing flower water in its basement
• Tatlong Krus, Paete, Laguna – the site of three tall white crosses with breathtaking views, a popular pilgrimage site
• Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, San Jose Del Monte City, Bulacan – a replica of the grotto at Lourdes, with 14 Stations of the Cross
• Manila Cathedral – inside the walled historic city of within the modern city of Manila

When it comes to religious tourism, Italy is one of the best places. You’ll find so many churches, cathedrals, museums and historic religious sites to visit whether you are religious or not. Being the location of the Vatican, which is the heart of the Catholic Church, it comes as no surprise! Statistics show that Italy is home to at least 1,500 shrines, 30,000 churches, and 700 diocesan museums. As well as this, there are a large number of monasteries and convents across the country.

Assisi is one of the most important places in Italy for religious tourism. This is where St Francis (patron saint of Italy) lived! His remains are buried at the basilica here.

Loreto is another important destination. People come here to visit the Basilica della Santa Casa, home to some of the relics of the holy house of Nazareth. Legend says this is the house where Mary would have grown up – and where she would have received the message of Jesus’ birth.

Rome , of course, is where you can go to visit the Vatican. St Peter’s Square is an incredibly important destination for religious tourism, as people flock here to catch a glimpse of – or be blessed by – the Pope.

More than half of tourists visiting Israel are religious tourists. Home of the Holy Land, it is no wonder that so many Christians and Jews come here. Recent statistics show that:

• 90% of all Christian tourists visited Jerusalem
• 89% visited Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee
• 86% visited Nazareth
• 85% visited the Dead Sea area
• 83% visited Capernaum 
• 86% of pilgrims visited Bethlehem

Within these regions, there are so many places to see which are of religious importance to Christians and the people of the Jewish faith. These include Via Dolorosa, the Western Wall, Mount of Olives, the Church of the Nativity, the Church of the Annunciation and many more.

There is a lot of religious tourism in Turkey too. Here there are many churches, mosques, mausoleums, crypts and so on. Religious tourists can visit the ‘first church in the world’, which is the Church of Saint Peter. Located near Antakya, it is a cave carved into the mountainside. Saint Nicholas lived in Turkey, too, so there are various locations linked to him – including the alleged site of his burial in Demre.

It’s not just Christianity that is so present in Turkey. There are so many Islamic sites of importance across the country too. Istanbul is home to the only remaining items of clothing of the prophet Muhammad; there are beautiful mosques in every area of the country, and you’ll be able to hear the call to prayer wherever you are.

Poland is another destination which is popular for religious tourism. One very popular site is the Pauline Monastery on Jasna Góra in Częstochowa. This is where tourists can find the blessed icon of the Black Madonna, worshipped globally. Wadowice is the birthplace of Pope John Paul II – and there is a lot of information about him in Krakow too, as the two places are relatively close. Generally, the country has many beautiful churches and monasteries. These make for brilliant sightseeing trips, a major part of religious tourism as stated above.

If you have enjoyed this article, I am sure that you will love these too!

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The personas and motivation of religious tourists and their impact on intentions to visit religious sites in Saudi Arabia

International Journal of Tourism Cities

ISSN : 2056-5607

Article publication date: 28 February 2023

Issue publication date: 16 March 2023

The purpose of this paper is to provide comprehensive, theoretical and practical knowledge that will assist decision-makers in making informed decisions when promoting several religious sites in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Specifically, this study examines the popularity of several religious sites, the personas of prospective visitors and their intentions to visit.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses several methodological approaches to fulfil its main objective, namely, Google Trends analysis, K-means cluster analysis and linear regression analysis.

The results reveal that several religious sites in the KSA are popular and have potential for further consideration by various stakeholders. In addition, four personas were identified which can aid decision-makers and marketing practitioners in designing suitable plans for prospective visitors based on the participants’ motivation and demographics. Furthermore, a significant association was observed among three motivational variables (self-esteem, relationship and physiological needs) and the participants’ intentions to visit.

Originality/value

This study makes an original contribution to the literature, as it examines several religious sites in Saudi Arabia in addition to the sites that are part of the practices of Hajj and Umrah. Furthermore, this study provides comprehensive knowledge in this area to assist both future researchers and practitioners.

• Islamic tourism
• Religious tourism
• Halal tourism
• Saudi Arabia
• Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
• Google Trends
• Facebook Ads

Kayal, G. (2023), "The personas and motivation of religious tourists and their impact on intentions to visit religious sites in Saudi Arabia", International Journal of Tourism Cities , Vol. 9 No. 1, pp. 201-219. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJTC-04-2022-0092

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2023, Ghadeer Kayal.

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1. Introduction

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has been economically reliant on the petrochemical sector for several decades ( Akhtar & Asif, 2017 ). This sector is one of the most developed industries in the kingdom and in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and is valued at approximately US$43.8bn [ Gulf Petrochemicals and chemicals Association (GPCA), 2016 ]. In relation to other GCC countries, 67% of the production capacity in the petrochemical sector is attributable to KSA, making it the highest-performing country in the council [ Gulf Petrochemicals and chemicals Association (GPCA), 2016 ]. Despite the sector’s significance to KSA’s economy, the country has been promoting the growth of other sectors to diversify its economy and create employment opportunities for its citizens ( Nurunnabi, 2017 ). Furthermore, after the launch of KSA’s 2030 vision in 2016, it has prioritised several sectors in its economy and dedicated vision programmes specially designed to transform the vision into reality ( Vision 2030, 2016 ). One of the key programmes in KSA’s vision is focused on religious tourism.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, KSA welcomed millions of visitors each year for the purpose of religious tourism ( General Authority for Statistics, 2019 ). Primarily, religious visitors came to the country to perform Hajj and Umrah. However, after the pandemic, the number of religious visitors significantly decreased as the Saudi Government and other countries applied restrictive measures to control the spread of the Covid-19 virus ( Muneeza & Mustapha, 2021 ). This has affected KSA’s economy, resulting in a loss of US$6bn in income ( Alam, 2021 ). Nevertheless, the country’s economy is recovering ( Azhar, 2021 ), and the need for alternative sources of income in the sector has never been more critical.

Notably, KSA’s attempt to keep the tourism sector afloat has been commended by the UN Travel Chief, who notes that it has increased its efforts to manage the pandemic and resort to domestic tourism while maintaining precautionary measures to keep its citizens and residents safe ( Arab News, 2021 ). Hence, it is of utmost importance that KSA considers alternative destinations and target markets relevant to the tourism sector, as relying on Hajj and Umrah is not ideal in the face of external and uncontrollable threats. Furthermore, Hajj and Umrah are performed during a limited period each year; hence, complementary destinations for religious tourists are necessary to overcome tourism seasonality ( Medina, Martín, Martínez, & Azevedo, 2022 ).

Consequently, this research’s main aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of the potential of numerous religious sites in the country, identify the personas of prospective visitors and examine their intentions to visit. The study begins by examining the limited literature relevant to religious tourism in KSA, as this directs the objective and methodology of Study 1. The results of Study 1 guide the approach used in the second and third studies. Each of the aforementioned studies has a distinct yet related objective and methodology. Finally, the conclusion is provided, followed by theoretical and practical implications, as well as a discussion of the research limitations and future research suggestions.

2. Literature review

2.1 religious tourism in ksa.

Kim, Kim, & King, (2020) defined religious tourism as a “type of tourism in which visitors are motivated partially or exclusively by religious premises”. According to existing research, visitors have been making religious journeys since prehistoric times. Such records are documented in the old testament and other preserved testaments of ancient scholars and writers ( Jackowski, 2000 ). Visitors from various religious backgrounds are still making such journeys in many countries, such as China ( Zhang et al., 2007 ), Turkey ( Egresi, Bayram, Kara, & Kesik, 2012 ), India ( Shinde, 2010 ) and many more.

With respect to the religion of Islam, existing research focuses on Hajj ( Luz, 2020 ). Hajj is an Arabic terminology which linguistically means to journey to a holy place to carry out specific rituals and activities ( Bakri, 1995 ). In the Islamic scriptures, it means that specific actions must be performed at a specific time and place and in a specific manner ( Bakri, 1995 ). All Muslims must perform Hajj and Umrah at least once in their lifetime ( Bakri, 1995 ). These rites take place in the holy city of Mecca as well as other surrounding sites ( Rinschede, 1992 ). The statistical reports issued by the Saudi Government provide a thorough and accurate account of the number and nationalities of national and international visitors as well as their gender, means of transportation and dates of arrival and departure ( General Authority for Statistics, 2019 ). These reports are crucial to various stakeholders, such as government officials, researchers, scholars and managers; thus, the government takes extreme measures to ensure the transparency, accuracy and versatility of the gathered data ( General Authority for Statistics, 2019 ).

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, KSA had welcomed millions of pilgrims ( General Authority for Statistics, 2019 ). Table 1 illustrates that as of 2019, approximately 2,371,675 pilgrims had journeyed to perform Hajj and Umrah. However, in conjunction with the Saudi Government, countries have scaled down or suspended their citizens from performing Hajj and Umrah during the pandemic; approximately 10,000 pilgrims performed the ritual in 2020, much lower than previous years ( Muneeza & Mustapha, 2021 ). This situation has resulted in devastating consequences for individuals, governments and other stakeholders worldwide ( Muneeza & Mustapha, 2021 ). With respect to KSA, the pandemic has resulted in a substantial economic effect as oil prices and trade and business activities have taken a major hit, which has affected the religious tourism sector. The sector accounts for 7% of KSA’s GDP, resulting in a loss of approximately US$6bn of income to the country ( Alam, 2021 ).

In addition to the holy city of Mecca, Muslim visitors travel to the holy city of Medina. The city is significant as it contains the holy mosque, burial sites, battle sites and other important locations ( Rinschede, 1992 ; Amer, Karban, Majid, Majrashi, & Saleh, 2021 ). When examining official reports issued by the Saudi Government, the government mainly focuses on statistics related to Hajj and Umrah. However, there is a lack of information with respect to other religious sites in KSA. In addition, research indicates that the country uses religious tourism to promote other sectors of tourism. For instance, the Ministry of Tourism launched a programme to promote other sites in KSA; the programme targeted visitors who arrived in the country to perform Umrah ( Ministry of Tourism, 2017 ).

There are other religious sites that are significant to Muslim visitors such as Quba Mosque (“Masjid Quba”) in Medina, which was the first mosque built in Islam; Uhud Mountain, located in Medina, which is the site of one the most important battles in Islamic history; Mosque of the Two Qiblas “Masjid Al Qiblatayn”, which is a mosque located in Medina where Prophet Muhammad was commanded to change the direction of prayer from Jerusalem to Mecca; Mountain of the Light “Jabal Al Nour”, which is a mountain near the city of Mecca where Prophet Muhammad received the first revelation from God; and Ghar Thowr, which is located near the city of Mecca and is where the Prophet and his companion hid from their enemies while fleeing the city. Nevertheless, extant research does not reflect the prospective demand of these sites nor their importance to religious tourism in KSA. Limited research has discussed some of these sites, specifically battle sites, emphasising their importance in attracting tourists despite the controversial association with dark tourism) Akbulut & Ekin, 2018 ; Amer et al., 2021 ).

Therefore, there is a need to examine the prospect of the aforementioned sites, in Mecca and Medina, within the context of religious tourism in KSA, as the country is actively developing its tourism sector ( Oktadiana, 2020 ; Alam, 2021 ). However, the lack of research examining these sites is a challenge to various stakeholders. For instance, government officials, strategists and tourism agencies require a clear understanding of the potential and the characteristics of the prospective target markets that are interested in visiting these significant religious sites. Furthermore, what motivates the target market to establish behavioural intentions to visit? Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to examine those factors crucial to developing adequate strategic plans to facilitate the promotion of religious tourism in those sites. In addition, these religious sites can compensate for the off-seasons of Hajj and Umrah; thus, leveraging those sites to enhance the overall performance of the tourism sector in the KSA is important ( Elgammal, Alhothali, & Sorrentino, 2022 ).

Furthermore, fulfilling the aforementioned research gaps in the context of religious tourism in KSA would also contribute to the global context of religious tourism. Given its socio-political and economic significance, there is a need to expand the scope of research in the area of religious tourism. Extant research specified that only 1.1% of research in tourism examines religious tourism ( Kim, Boo, & Kim, 2013 ; Rashid, 2018 ). In addition, the majority of existing research is focused on documenting the changes in religious tourism as opposed to using the findings to define and predict future behaviours of religious tourists ( Rashid, 2018 ). This hinders the development of relevant policies and thus delays the progress of the sector in any nation.

Therefore, to fulfil the main aim of this research, which is to provide a comprehensive examination of the potential of several religious sites in KSA, pinpoint the personas of prospective visitors and inspect their intentions to visit, this research is going to use various tools and theoretical concepts. First, Study 1 uses Google Trends to weigh up the popularity of the previously mentioned religious sites. Second, Study 2 examines present research to determine the demographic and behavioural variables and travel motivation ( Rahman, Zailani, & Musa, 2017 ) of religious tourists using quantitative research methods. Third, Study 3 evaluates various motivational theories, in the context of religious tourism, to determine the optimal theory that can facilitate the attainment of the research’s aim and support the research hypotheses, such as extrinsic and intrinsic motivation ( Wu & Mursid , 2019a, 2019b ), religious and secular motivation ( Rybina, 2018 ), push and pull motivation ( Battour, Ismail, Battor, & Awais, 2017 ) and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory ( Oktadiana, Pearce, Pusiran, & Agarwal, 2017 ; Rahman et al., 2017 ). Then, the research hypotheses are tested using quantitative research methods, and the results are presented, followed by the concluding remarks.

The first study aims to evaluate the popularity of several religious sites in KSA. To achieve the objective of this study, Google Trends was used to determine the search frequency of the keywords associated with these religious sites. The results of the trend analysis are discussed below, and further recommendations are given.

3.1 Google trend analysis

Due to the lack of research examining the aforementioned religious sites, Google Trends was used to identify the popularity of the concerned sites as well as the regions that contribute most to that popularity. Notably, popularity reflects the search frequency of the keyword relative to the specified location in Google’s search engine. This step assisted in making accurate methodology-related decisions. Extant research in the context of tourism has used Google Trends for similar purposes, specifically to make well-informed forecasts ( Pramana, Paramartha, Ermawan, Deli, & Srimulyani, 2021 ; Vannavanit, 2021 ; Wickramasinghe & Ratnasiri, 2021 ). Thus, Google Trends was used to examine the popularity of several keywords associated with several religious sites in KSA. The parameters of the keyword search included the past 12 months – November 2021 – as a timeframe and used the official terminology used by Google’s algorithm.

3.2 Results

With respect to the first site, the keyword “Hajj” was used. The trend analysis illustrates that “Hajj” as a search term was extremely popular during the Hajj season, which coincides with the months of June and July. However, during off-season, the popularity of the query diminished to below average. The countries ranked above average for this keyword were Pakistan, Lebanon and the Maldives ( Table 2 ).

In terms of the keyword “Umrah”, the trend analysis indicates that the term is popular throughout the year. This may be due to the fact that Umrah as a practice can take place at any time. The regions which scored above average in this query were Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Brunei, the KSA, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. With respect to “Masjid Quba”, the results of the trend analysis illustrate that this query is fairly popular throughout the year, mainly in Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia and the KSA. The query “Uhud Mountain” appears to also have a fluctuating popularity during the course of the year, specifically in Pakistan ( Table 2 ).

When the query “Masjid Al Qiblatayn” was searched for, the trend analysis showed that this keyword is relatively popular, mainly in KSA. Regarding “Jabal Al Nour”, the query is popular throughout the year in regions such as KSA, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan. The last query used was “Ghar Thowr”. The results indicate that the query is popular, and several regions scored above average for it, such as Kuwait, Jordan, KSA, Oman, Algeria and Palestine ( Table 2 ).

3.3 Discussion

Overall, the trend analysis confirms the popularity of these religious sites in several countries where the majority of the population is Muslim. Pakistan, Indonesia, KSA, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates appear to be the most interested in these terms. Notably, the most popular keywords were Umrah, Masjid Quba and Jabal Al Nour. Accordingly, tremendous efforts have been employed by the Saudi Government and ministries in facilitating Hajj and Umrah for Muslims worldwide. The results of the trend analysis emphasise the potential of other religious sites in addition to the ones which are part of Hajj and Umrah ( Table 2 ) which can be incorporated into the itinerary of pilgrims and visitors. Furthermore, as KSA was the country that exhibited a high interest in the majority of the religious sites, it is recommended to focus on domestic tourism for these sites to allow for development and maturity prior to international tourism. Nevertheless, the trend analysis does not shed light on the characteristics of the prospective target market.

The findings of the trend analysis support the potential of the aforementioned religious sites to boost religious tourism in KSA. Therefore, the second study aims to identify the persona of the prospective consumers who would be interested in visiting those sites, in particular, the sites that are not considered mandatory by the practices of Hajj and Umrah, namely, Masjid Quba, Uhud Mountain, Masjid Al Qiblatayn, Jabal Al Nour and Ghar Thowr. To do so, a recount of persona creation in the context of religious tourism is provided, followed by the methodology used in the study. The results are presented and discussed to pave the way for Study 3.

4.1 Persona of religious tourists

A persona represents a segment of consumers who are presented as an imaginary individual ( An, Kwak, Jung, Salminen, & Jansen, 2018 ) who has shared characteristics and needs ( Pruitt & Adlin, 2006 ). The extant literature emphasises the importance of persona creation in inbound marketing as it is more efficient and cost effective ( Lehnert, Goupil, & Brand, 2021 ; Oktadiana, 2020 ). Specifically, persona creation can simplify certain data processes and assist decision-makers in identifying consumers’ specific needs, goals, challenges, values, how they find information, motivation and more ( Onel et al., 2018 ; Lehnert et al., 2021 ). Thus, it can enable decision-makers to identify patterns and trends that are present in the data and personify them to represent a segment of consumers ( Onel et al., 2018 ).

Extant research proposes that creating a persona for consumers, within the context of special interest tourism, depends on their demographic and behavioural segmentation as well as travel motivation ( Yousaf, Amin, & Santos, 2018 ; Kang, 2020 ; Oktadiana, 2020 ). After examining several papers that evaluated the demographic variables of participants travelling to KSA for religious purposes, gender, nationality, age, education and income were identified ( Almuhrzi & Alsawafi, 2017 ; Rybina, 2018 ; Wu & Mursid , 2019a, 2019b ). Furthermore, the behavioural segmentation variable that is commonly examined is the frequency of visit ( Rybina, 2018 ; Wu & Mursid , 2019a, 2019b ).

Based on the limited research available, approximately more than 55% of international religious tourists visiting KSA are male whereas 42.65% are female. With respect to age groups, the most prominent age groups are 30–39 and 40–49. Regarding employment, the majority of religious tourists visiting KSA have a bachelor’s degree with a monthly income of US$500–1,000 and US$1,000–3,000, respectively. Regarding their past visits to the country, a significant number of visitors travelled to KSA at least once to perform Hajj or Umrah ( Almuhrzi & Alsawafi, 2017 ; Rybina, 2018 ; Wu & Mursid , 2019a, 2019b ).

4.2 Methodology and data collection

Due to the lack of an existing database to evaluate the characteristics and motivation for the aforementioned religious sites ( Kang, 2020 ), a questionnaire was distributed to gather the required data. As per the insights of Study 1, the sample consisted of citizens and residents of KSA. The questionnaire was distributed online using Facebook Advertising Manager (Facebook Ads), which guaranteed that the questionnaire was viewed by individuals living in the country. This tool was used as other popular tools are not available in the region (e.g. Amazon Turk). Furthermore, the tool ensures that audience characteristics are not predetermined, as the only boundary that was set is the location.

Based on existing studies, the questionnaire included questions relevant to the demographic characteristics of religious travellers visiting KSA, including gender, age, education and income ( Almuhrzi & Alsawafi, 2017 ; Rybina, 2018 ; Wu & Mursid , 2019a, 2019b ). Frequency of visit is an important variable to include; however, due to the fact that the participants reside in the country, this variable was not included in the questionnaire. In addition, to identify the motivation to visit the religious sites in KSA, the study adopted the motivational variables that had a significant influence on Muslim visitors’ intentions to visit, namely, self-esteem needs (SEN), relationship needs (RN) and physiological needs (PN) ( Rahman et al., 2017 ). The respective items of those variables were modified to reflect the religious sites in KSA ( Table 3 ). Screening questions, such as “please specify your religion”, were also incorporated to ensure the representativeness of the sample.

4.3 Results

The questionnaire was sent to individuals who reside in KSA using Facebook Ads. Based on the Ads Manager analytics, the survey had a reach of 34,264 and obtained 451 link clicks. Of those 451 clicks, 203 individuals participated in the study, and only 193 were used for analysis due to incompletion. All the questionnaires were filled by Muslims, of whom 77.7% were Saudi, whereas 22.3% were non-Saudi. With respect to the demographic statistics of interest to this study, most of the sample were female 71%, whereas 29% were male. In addition, approximately 30% of the sample were between 35 and 44 years old, and 48.7% of the individuals had a bachelor’s degree. Furthermore, most of the participants (46.6%) earned less than SAR 10,000 ( Table 4 ).

Regarding the motivation to visit the religious sites in KSA, SEN have the highest mean of 3.99; specifically, the item with the highest mean is “I would like to visit those religious sites in Saudi Arabia for the Islamic cultures and the spread of Islamic values”. Furthermore, RN and PN have a mean of 3.62 and 3.70, respectively. This indicates that the opportunity to spend time with family and to visit those religious sites for their historic and heritage wealth are significant motivations for the participants.

To provide a persona that reflects the characteristics and motivation of potential visitors to these religious sites, K-means cluster analysis was used. The analysis resulted in identifying two clusters, whereby the majority of the participants are represented in cluster 2 ( Table 5 ). Each motivational variable is significant for discriminating the resulted clusters ( Table 6 ). After examining the results of the final cluster centres and identifying the individuals that represent the clusters the most, four personas were identified. These personas of religious visitors are as follows:

Saudi, female, age 25–34, with a post-graduate degree who earns approximately SAR 40,000–50,000 who is mainly motivated by enhancing her Islamic knowledge and culture and sharing that knowledge with others.

Saudi, male, age 65+ with a post-graduate degree who earns SAR 20,000–29,999 who is mainly motivated by enhancing his Islamic knowledge and culture and sharing that knowledge with others.

Saudi, female 65+ with a bachelor’s degree, who earns less than SAR 10,000, who visits religious sites to satisfy her SEN, RN and PN.

Non-Saudi male 18–24 with a bachelor’s degree who earns SAR 10,000–19,000, who visits religious sites to satisfy his SEN, RN and PN.

4.4 Discussion

The descriptive data of the participants’ characteristics is comparable to existing research, which indicates that Muslims in the age group of 35–44 and older are the most interested in religious tourism ( Table 4 ). Likewise, most of the participants have a university education and an income of SAR 10,000 or less ( Almuhrzi & Alsawafi, 2017 ; Wu & Mursid , 2019a, 2019b ). Notably, women were more inclined to fill out the survey compared to men, which is comparable to extant research ( Almuhrzi & Alsawafi, 2017 ). With respect to their motivation, all of the motivational variables were significant to discriminate the final clusters that resulted from the analysis ( Table 6 ).

By examining the distance from the cluster centres, two personas were identified in each cluster. Cluster 1’s personas are highly educated, with an income above the average income of Saudi citizens (SAR 11,984) ( General Authority for Statistics, 2018 ). What distinguishes the first cluster is that, despite the importance of all the motivational variables to the cluster overall, individuals close to the centre of the cluster are motivated the most by SEN, specifically by Islamic cultures and the spread of Islamic values. This can be supported by recent research, which emphasises the significance of education as a motivation in the context of religious tourism ( Ramírez & Portillo, 2020 ).

The majority of the participants were placed in cluster 2 ( Table 5 ). Based on analysing the individuals closer to the centre of the cluster, two personas were identified (personas of religious visitors). The personas of this cluster have an average income, and the majority of the factors in the motivational variables are significant to them. This supports the extant literature wherein SEN, RN and PN are significant to Muslim tourists ( Rahman et al., 2017 ). Notably, both cluster 1 and 2 have individuals who are 65+, who have earned at least a bachelor’s degree and who share SEN as a motivation to visit the religious sites in KSA. This group, due to their age, motivation and financial capabilities, might require decision-makers to tailor their market offerings to fit with their needs and, most importantly, identify the friction points that might hinder their intentions to visit these sites.

Considering the above, it is of utmost importance to evaluate if the aforementioned motivational factors significantly influence the participants’ intentions to visit the specified religious sites in KSA.

Study 1 revealed that the specified religious sites ( Table 2 ) are popular among various countries, specifically, KSA. Therefore, Study 2 evaluated the personas of potential tourists to assist decision-makers in customising their market offerings based on these promising personas. Thus, to confirm the feasibility of these clusters and legitimise the association between their motivation and their intentions to visit these religious sites, Study 3 evaluated that relationship by using linear regression analysis.

5.1 Religious tourists’ motivation and intentions to visit

Extant research confirms the association between religious motivation and intentions to visit ( Antón, Camarero, & Laguna-Garcia, 2017 ; Khan, Chelliah, & Ahmed, 2017 ; Hassani & Moghavvemi, 2020 ; Kim & Lee, 2020 ; Kala, 2021 ). In the context of religious tourism, recent studies have used various motivation theories to identify what motivates Muslim tourists to travel. For instance, extant studies have specified extrinsic motivation such as expected organisational reward and intrinsic motivation such as the enjoyment in the helping others as significant motivations for religious travellers going to KSA ( Wu & Mursid , 2019a, 2019b ). Furthermore, religious and secular motivation ( Rybina, 2018 ) and push and pull motivation ( Battour et al., 2017 ) were also identified as significant motivations for religious travellers to visit KSA.

Furthermore, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory was used to determine what motivates Muslim travellers ( Oktadiana et al., 2017 ; Rahman et al., 2017 ). The theory has a broad scope and has been used extensively in many contexts. In the context of tourism, it is considered the most used theory as it explains how human behaviour is the result of several needs which manifest in a hierarchal order, and it provides an explanation of why humans’ needs are a fundamental aspect in any context ( Yousaf et al., 2018 ). The theory classifies human needs into five distinct categories. First, “physiological needs” reflect humans’ basic needs (e.g. food, shelter, water) ( Maslow, 1943 ). These needs represent the basic needs of the visitors to a tourist destination, such as accommodations, restaurants and drinkable water ( Yousaf et al., 2018 ).

Second, “safety needs” represent the importance of safety-related concerns that might influence visitors’ intentions to travel to a certain destination. A safe and secure destination is a requirement for any tourist destination. Third, “relationship needs” reflect an individual’s ability to establish healthy relationships and a sense of societal belonging. The literature emphasises that this category has a significant influence in motivating travellers to visit as they value the development of strong bonds with their family members and friends as well as forming friendly relationships with local communities. Fourth, “self-esteem needs” are important to travellers as they want to impress membership and reference groups to acquire a higher social status. Furthermore, tourism is perceived as a challenging activity that can enhance an individual’s skills. Finally, “self-actualisation needs” reflect the visitor’s involvement in activities that benefit society ( Maslow, 1943 ; Yousaf et al., 2018 ).

SEN have a significant influence on individuals’ intentions to visit.

RN have a significant influence on individuals’ intentions to visit.

PN have a significant influence on individuals’ intentions to visit.

5.2 Results

The methodology and data collection are similar to Study 2; see ( Table 3 ) for the research variables. With respect to the results, Cronbach’s alpha was used to evaluate the reliability of the variables that assess the research hypotheses ( Table 7 ). Considering the sample size, the results indicate that all of the variables have an acceptable Cronbach’s alpha ( Bujang, Omar, & Baharum, 2018 ). Furthermore, the descriptive analysis indicates that SEN have a marginally higher mean in comparison to relationship and physiological needs ( Table 7 ). Notably, the following items had the highest mean in the motivational variables: “I would like to visit those religious sites in Saudi Arabia for the Islamic cultures and the spread of Islamic values”, “I would like to visit those religious sites in Saudi Arabia to enhance my relationship with family” and “I would like to visit those religious sites in Saudi Arabia for their historic and heritage wealth”. Concerning behavioural intentions, the variable had an overall mean of 4.27 ( Table 7 ).

To assess the research hypotheses for Study 3, linear regression analysis was used. For the first hypothesis, the result indicates that SEN have a significant influence on individuals’ intentions to visit ( F = 39.392, P = 0.001*). Regarding the second hypothesis, the analysis confirms that RN have a significant influence on individuals’ intentions to visit ( F = 18.378, P = 0.001*). For the third hypothesis, the result indicates that physiological needs have a significant influence on individuals’ intentions to visit ( F = 21.654, P = 0.001*) ( Table 8 ).

5.3 Discussion

Existing research confirms the relationship between religious motivation and intention to visit ( Antón et al., 2017 ; Khan et al., 2017 ; Hassani & Moghavvemi, 2020 ; Kim & Lee, 2020 ; Kala, 2021 ). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory was used to evaluate the influence of three motivational variables on the participants’ intentions to visit several religious sites in KSA. The theory has been used extensively in the tourism and religious tourism contexts ( Oktadiana et al., 2017 ; Rahman et al., 2017 ; Yousaf et al., 2018 ), as it provides a comprehensive explanation of what motivates individuals to visit a destination. The results of Study 3 confirm the research hypotheses and affirm the findings of previous research that SEN, RN and PN are significant motivational variables for Muslim visitors ( Table 8 ). Notably, despite that SEN were the most prominent among the motivational variables, relationship and physiological needs are areas of concern that should be addressed by different stakeholders, which is also evident in the extant research ( Khan & Callanan, 2017 ; Floren, Rasul, & Gani, 2020 ; Hassani & Moghavvemi, 2020 ).

6. Conclusion

The religious tourism sector in KSA is focused on Hajj and Umrah. The Saudi Government has been issuing statistical data that reflects visitors’ demographics and behavioural variables relevant to those practices ( General Authority for Statistics, 2019 ). Prior to the pandemic, the practices of Hajj and Umrah were generating a significant income to the country as millions of Muslims performed those practices annually. Visitors were also interested in visiting the holy city of Medina as it contains the holy mosque and other significant sites ( Rinschede, 1992 ; Amer et al., 2021 ). However, the extant literature is extremely limited with respect to other religious sites in KSA ( Akbulut & Ekin, 2018 ; Amer et al., 2021 ), and the official reports are only limited to Hajj and Umrah.

Accordingly, this study evaluated the popularity of several religious sites, namely, Quba Mosque, Uhud Mountain, Mosque of the Two Qiblas, Mountain of the Light and Ghar Thowr. Study 1 used Google Trends to evaluate the popularity of those sites. This tool has been used recently by researchers, in the context of tourism, for the purpose of making well-informed decisions and forecasts ( Pramana et al., 2021 ; Vannavanit, 2021 ; Wickramasinghe & Ratnasiri, 2021 ). The results of Study 1, Study 2 and Study 3 illustrate that Google Trends is a useful tool that can be used to estimate if a particular site has potential in the context of tourism in general and religious tourism in particular, as the tool provides information on the frequency of search relative to a location.

Google Trends directed the methodological approach of Study 2 and Study 3 as the results of Study 1 indicated that the used keywords were mostly popular in Pakistan, Indonesia, KSA, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates, and that KSA was the country where most of the terms were highest in popularity. Hence, Study 2 focused on Saudi citizens and residents, as directed by the results of Google Trends. The main purpose of Study 2 is to assist decision-makers in providing personas for prospective visitors to these religious sites. The characteristics of the personas that resulted from the cluster analysis indicate the importance of three motivational needs: SEN, RN and PN. Notably, even though all the motivational needs are significant to the participants, one cluster showcased that SEN are the most prominent. This was further supported by Study 3, where all the motivational variables had a significant influence on the participants’ intentions to visit.

The findings of this study corroborate the results of extant research that examines the demographics and motivation of visitors to religious sites in KSA, countries where the majority of the population is Muslim, and religious tourists in general ( Almuhrzi & Alsawafi, 2017 ; Wu & Mursid , 2019a, 2019b ; Ramírez & Portillo, 2020 ). Specifically, it has been found that religious tourists are motivated predominantly by SEN ( Khan & Callanan, 2017 ; Floren et al., 2020 ; Hassani & Moghavvemi, 2020 ). Still, relationship and physiological needs are also significant, as they have a strong impact on visitors’ satisfaction and intentions to revisit ( Rahman et al., 2017 ).

7. Theoretical and practical implications

This paper provided a comprehensive evaluation of the potential of several religious sites in KSA, provided distinct personas of prospective visitors and confirmed their intentions to visit. To the best of the researcher’s knowledge, these sites have not been previously examined in the literature. The literature of religious tourism in KSA is quite limited, and the available research has mainly focused on Hajj and Umrah ( Alam, 2021 ). Therefore, this study provides much-needed insights to assist future researchers as well as direct the efforts of decision-makers in their strategic and operational plans to capitalise on these religious sites, especially for economic purposes following the Covid-19 pandemic. Such findings are necessary to bridge the gap between theory and practice in the context of Islamic marketing ( Hossain, Yahya, & Kiumarsi, 2018 ).

In addition, there is limited research available that examines the personas of religious tourists; thus, this study used the limited research available that explores persona creation, in general using quantitative methods ( An et al., 2018 ; Kang, 2020 ). Accordingly, due to the importance of persona creation in simplifying data processes and assisting decision-makers in understanding consumers’ needs ( Onel et al., 2018 ; Lehnert et al., 2021 ), this study presented four personas, using k-means cluster analysis, for visitors in the context of religious tourism. Such information warrants policy and decision-makers as well as practitioners to aggregate real-time data from individuals who visit these sites in Mecca and Medina to identify their personas more profoundly and leverage that information to cater to their needs and optimise the sites’ potential and visitors’ satisfaction. Of note, the presented personas can also be used to support further information acquisition through qualitative methods.

In addition, Google Trends and Facebook Ads were used in this research. Google Trends has been used in the context of tourism ( Pramana et al., 2021 ; Vannavanit, 2021 ; Wickramasinghe & Ratnasiri, 2021 ), but it proved to be comparably useful in the context of religious tourism. Moreover, Facebook Ads has not been used in previous research, as many researchers opted for other tools such as Amazon Turk. However, due to the unavailability of Amazon Turk in the region, Facebook Ads was a suitable alternative as the researcher can specify the desired location and eliminate any biases in the sample.

Furthermore, this study used Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory as it has proven effective in the context of tourism ( Yousaf et al., 2018 ). Accordingly, this study provides further support to the theory’s application in the context of Islamic tourism and emphasises the importance of the following three motivational needs to Muslim visitors: SEN, RN and PN ( Rahman et al., 2017 ).

8. Limitations and future research

Due to the novelty of this research, there were numerous challenges relevant to the available literature and research methodology. Extant research has used available data and/or existing data bases as foundation for persona creation ( An et al., 2018 ; Kang, 2020 ). However, due to the unavailability of such data, this study had to resort to primary instead of secondary data. Nevertheless, the government might consider gathering data relevant to the visitors of religious sites to facilitate the creation of personas based on larger sample sizes.

In addition, the variables, that were examined in the third study, directly assess the influence between motivation and intentions to visit. Hence, future research can examine the mediating/moderating effect of variables that can influence this relationship within the scope of this study. For instance, extant research has identified destination image and tourist loyalty as mediators that influence intentions to visit ( Kanwel et al., 2019 ). Furthermore, destination trust and reputation have been found to have a moderating effect that influences the association between motivation and intentions to visit ( Su, Lian, & Huang, 2020 ). Another moderating variable that could be assessed is imagination proclivity. Recent research has determined that imagination proclivity has a significant moderating effect that can impact the association between motivation and intentions to visit ( Hosany, Buzova, & Sanz-Blas, 2020 ). Of note, this variable is particularly relevant to policymakers and decision-makers in KSA, as the kingdom is actively developing and implementing its digital tourism strategy ( Arab News, 2022 ).

Moreover, as per Study 2, the variables that were identified to determine religious tourists’ personas were gender, age, income, education, frequency of visit and motivation. Thus, future research might consider using structural equation modelling (SEM) and incorporating the previous variables as indicators to the persona construct. Structural equation models are “statistical procedures for testing measurement, functional, predictive and causal hypotheses” ( Bagozzi & Yi, 2012 , p. 8). In recent years, SEM has become a very popular technique used by researchers ( Tomarken & Waller, 2005 ), especially in health, managerial, behavioural and social sciences ( Bagozzi & Yi, 2012 ).

What distinguishes SEM from first generation statistical methods is its ability to provide researchers with comprehensive techniques for evaluating and adjusting theoretical models ( Anderson & Gerbing, 1988 ). Furthermore, SEM determines the theoretical model’s restrictions, generality and range of convenience ( Kline, 2015 ); for instance, SEM considers measurement errors while testing research hypotheses ( Bagozzi & Yi, 2012 ). Moreover, SEM provides researchers with suggestions with respect to novel hypotheses that were not previously considered; thus, it makes way for new research directions ( Bagozzi & Yi, 2012 ).

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) can be used as a measurement model to incorporate the personas of religious tourists as a construct and determine its impact on their intentions to visit and behaviour as CFA identifies the theorised relationships between observed variables and the research’s constructs. In addition, CFA allows the assessment of the theoretical model’s validity and reliability ( Hair, 2014 ) and decides the goodness of fit indices ( Byrne, 2016 ). The proposed conceptual model ( Figure 1 ) is as follows:

Furthermore, Facebook Ads was used to distribute the questionnaire to citizens and residents in KSA. The questionnaire reached 34,264, and 451 individuals clicked on the link. Nevertheless, only 203 individuals filled the survey, and 193 were used for analysis. The data collection via Facebook Ads resulted in an adequate sample size comparable to existing research ( Almuhrzi & Alsawafi, 2017 ). Future research might consider using the same methodology used in this paper to further evaluate the appropriateness of Facebook Ads as an alternative to other tools. Furthermore, even though several similarities were observed among several studies with respect to the respondents’ demographic characteristics ( Almuhrzi & Alsawafi, 2017 ; Wu & Mursid , 2019a, 2019b ), future research can test the motivational variables in other countries where the majority of the population is Muslim ( Table 2 ) – this has been indicated in previous research as an important area of investigation ( Kim et al., 2020 ).

In addition, since the aforementioned sites examined in this study are located within the vicinity of the cities of Mecca and Medina, future research has to investigate the possible challenges that might arise with regulating additional tourism activities in these two cities. As per the data provided by the Saudi Government ( Table 1 ), millions of pilgrims visit the cities of Mecca and Medina every year ( General Authority for Statistics, 2019 ). Hence, one possible challenge is the urban growth and changing city structure required to meet the need of visitors. Extant research indicated that commercialising religious sites has resulted in the loss of the sites’ historical urban fabric, cultural heritage and parcelisation of lands ( Maroufi & Rosina, 2017 ).

Proposed conceptual model using SEM

Number of pilgrims over the years

Popularity of the keywords by region

Variables and items

Characteristics of the sample

Final cluster centres

The significance of each motivational variable

Means and Cronbach's alpha

Linear regression results

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Further readings

Ashraf , M. A. ( 2019 ). Islamic marketing and consumer behavior toward halal food purchase in Bangladesh: an analysis using SEM . Journal of Islamic Marketing , 10 ( 3 ), 893 – 910 .

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Shafaei , F. , & Mohamed , B. ( 2015 ). Involvement and brand equity: a conceptual model for Muslim tourists . International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research , 9 ( 1 ).

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WATCH DAY TWO OF THE CONFERENCE LIVE HERE

WATCH DAY ONE OF THE CONFERENCE HERE

On the occasion of the centenary of the apparitions of Fatima (1917-2017), the International Congress on Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage will be organized jointly by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Ministry of Economy of Portugal and the Municipality of Ourém.

The Congress will reflect on the potential and the role of religious tourism and sacred places as a tool for socio-economic and cultural development of destinations. Knowing the motivations that lead millions of peoples to travel to sacred places is an essential condition for the sustainable development of destinations. The visitor of sacred places in general and the one of Fatima in particular, is characterized by a remarkable loyalty to the visited site. Hence, it can be said that tourist’s loyalty is in these cases an essential element of the relationship that the religious tourist and the pilgrim establish with the destinations which they are visiting.

Thus, a key principle is to preserve the spirit of the destinations, authenticity and integrity in the way that they are managed and promoted while making them accessible for all. On the other hand, these places of spirituality have the potential to drain part of their tourist flows to other tourist attractions in the region, therefore, with adequate promotion strategies; it is possible to get visitors to lesser known areas and complementary places that are offered in holy places. Additionally, religious tourism destinations are usually less affected by trends and economic crisis.

Taking note of the United Nations (UN) declaring 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, the congress will discuss how effective partnerships, in sacred places, can benefit local communities and encourage their sustainable development and socio-economic empowerment in the long run. It will also discuss the need for specific policies for protection and management of religious and sacred sites that take into account the distinct sacred or spiritual value associated with the place, as a key factor for their conservation.

For further information please consult:   http://fatimaiy2017.ourem.pt/

For previous editions please chek the below links:

2016 - Utrecht, The Nethelds

2014 - Santiago de Compostela, Spain

2014 - Elche, Spain

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Timor-Leste launches religious tourism association

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Timor-Leste has officially launched a travel association bringing together all religions to promote religious tourism, a sector that the Catholic-majority country is seeking to develop to diversify its economy.

The launch of the Timor-Leste Religious Tourism Association (Asosiasaun Turizmu Relijiozu Timor-Leste), or ATRTL, was held at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Dili on Oct. 12.

It coincided with the anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II's visit in 1989 when the country was still under Indonesian rule.

Archbishop Dom Virgilio do Carmo da Silva of Dili and Monsignor Marco Sprizzi, the apostolic nunciature's charge d'affaires, joined senior government officials at the launch, which was also attended by representatives of the United States government, which sponsored the association's establishment.

The launch follows the association's official registration in July when it received a US$110,000 grant from the Timor-Leste government.

USAID, the American government's international development agency, said the new association seeks to capture a portion of the estimated $18 billion global religious tourism market in which, according to the UN World Tourism Organization, some 330 million tourists visit religious sites worldwide each year.

The next steps for the ATRTL include a national survey of faith-based tourism attractions and hospitality and tour guide training for young people

The move to form the association had been in the pipeline since 2018, with USAID support through the Tourism For All Project in which the country's religious leaders – Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Hindu and Confucian – set up a working group to explore the potential for faith-based tourism and subsequently organized an international tourism conference.

"The next steps for the ATRTL include a national survey of faith-based tourism attractions and hospitality and tour guide training for young people. Association members are also discussing an annual interfaith festival and a plan to create a peace garden," USAID said.

The new association's president, Father Angelo Salsinha, said that with the experience gained through USAID's support "we will work more professionally to ensure our association's sustainability and future well-being."

He said the development of religious tourism is not primarily for economic reasons but also for strengthening faith and unity among religions.

Therefore, he said, he wants to make sure that respect for religion is a key priority as ATRTL draws up its strategic plan, a feeling shared by leaders of the other faiths represented in the association.

He said the association allocated 50 percent of the US government grant to train community leaders and youth to accept faith-based tourists with respect.

US charge d'affaires Tom Daley said "faith-based tourism presents a tremendous economic opportunity for Timor-Leste, with a significant number of tourists from neighboring countries within close reach."

He added: "It also helps to advance human rights and respect for differences. Building on our respect for religious freedom and diversity, the US Mission to Timor-Leste hopes that the association will spur job creation for young people, bring prosperity to communities nationwide, and help Timor-Leste diversify its economy."

Source: https://www.ucanews.com/news/timor-leste-launches-religious-tourism-association/9454

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WORLD – Growth of religious tourism

The global market for religious tourism continues to grow. Last year, 215.000 visitors reached the cathedral of Santiago de Compostella after walking St. James’ way. The town of Medjugorje, in Herzegovina, draws over a million visits anually since six children claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary there in 1981.Peter Johansen writes:

Yes, religious tourism is big. And it’s getting bigger. Researchers suggest the market is more resilient to recessions and is more open to repeat business than secular leisure travel. According to Kevin J. Wright, director of growth markets at the Kentucky-based National Tour Association, the global faith-based travel sector is worth $18 billion and includes 300 million travelers a year, the majority well educated and with comfortable incomes. “Studies show that 35 per cent of travelers want to take a faith-inspired vacation, so the market potential remains enormous,” he says.

Read the full article here .

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